STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island comedian Eric D’Alessandro already delivered. He had his crowd of 1,900 people roaring with laughter at the sold-out St. George Theatre. But his final bit of entertainment was a punchline the audience never saw coming.
At the conclusion of his homecoming performance at the North Shore venue, D’Alessandro summoned his longtime girlfriend Leanna Kostalos to the stage, dropped to a knee, and asked her to marry him, putting an exclamation point on an unforgettable show.
“The thought came to my mind when they [the tickets for the show] first went on sale,” he said, about planning the proposal. “I just thought it would be really cool way to do it, very unique to me, not something typical that I really see anyone else doing and it would be really cool to make it my own.”
D’Alessandro and Kostalos, both from Staten Island, have been dating for eight years.
The proposal was a surprise to everyone, even family and friends. (Courtesy/Dave Giordano)
The proposal was a surprise to everyone in the audience, including friends and family of the couple, and was captured by photographer, Dave Giordano.
D’Alessandro said while he has been planning to propose during the St. George Theatre show, he picked up the engagement ring on Saturday morning. When asked how many people knew he would propose, he said “no one.” But since many of their family and friends were all going to the show, it was the perfect opportunity, he explained.
“I told my photographer right before I went on stage,” D’Alessandro said. “I said, ‘Hey, at the end I want to get a cool shot with the audience and I’m going to ask Leanna to come on stage and I’m going to propose to her.’”
Giordano captured the intimate moment from the stage. The images, available above, show the comedian and his bride-to-be embracing as hundreds of attendees applaud in the background.
Staten Island comedian Eric D’Alessandro proposed at the conclusion of his comedy show. (Courtesy/St. George Theatre)
The crowd erupted in joy at the proposal — snapping photos and videos to capture the special moment. D’Alessandro said he couldn’t believe how loud the audience was.
“The laughter filling the room was exhilarating for our entire staff and what an epic moment for Eric and his family with his proposal from the stage,” said Doreen Cugno, St. George Theatre president and CEO. “Last night was an amazing evening for all and an exciting way to re-open our venue!”
After the show, D’Alessandro said they returned to his family’s home for a “simple” and “low-key” celebration.
Staten Island comedian Eric D’Alessandro performed at the St. George Theatre, with a surprise proposal in store. (Courtesy/St. George Theatre)
“Eric has been one of my best friends since we were 5 years old, so it was a great honor for me to be able to work on this special show,” said Vincent Innocente, director of marketing and audience services for the St. George Theatre. “It was awesome to see so many people there we know from St. Roch, St. Peter’s, and more all to support Eric!”
The Westerleigh native is a local celebrity on the borough — going viral with a series of YouTube videos poking good-natured fun at Italian-American stereotypes. He has created sketches that featured original characters derived from Staten Island stereotypes like “Maria Marie,” as well as impressions of celebrities like Drake. Those videos, and his originally, timely and relatable content on social media, led to his over 165,000 followers on Instagram.
He currently has over 26,000 subscribers on YouTube and also made his feature film debut in “Nerve” in 2019.
He now resides in Austin, Texas.
Doreen Cugno, president and CEO of the St. George Theatre called his proposal an “epic” moment. (Courtesy/St. George Theatre)
“I want to thank everyone so much, it was one of the coolest nights of my life and I’m extremely grateful,” he said, about Saturday night’s show and proposal.
If you missed D’Alessandro at the St. George Theatre, there are several local shows coming up soon. You can visit his website, www.ericdalessandro.com, to buy tickets.
The Westerleigh native has more shows coming up and tickets are available on his website. (Courtesy/St. George Theatre)
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